Re: Billy Joel -- Jewish Music?

[Trudi Goodman <goobietheg...>]

   Actually,
    from what I understand, Billy Joel is a matzah/pizza baby...half Jewish 
and half Italiano.
    Trudi the G


>From: Eliott Kahn <Elkahn (at) JTSA(dot)EDU>
>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Subject: Re: Billy Joel -- Jewish Music?
>Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 17:15:48 -0400
>
>
>>
>>The music ... [includes] Billy Joel's Lullabye -- the lullaby song
>>being, perhaps, the most penetrating and moving musical expression of
>>any culture.
>>
>>
>>Do list members hear this piece as "music inspired by the Jewish
>>soul"?
>
>
>
>No, certainly not. I don't believe it's an accurate choice for what the
>recording is trying to accomplish. We're back to the Burt "Rabbi of
>Bacharach" syndrome.
>
>I believe Billy Joel's father was a concert pianist who left the family
>when Billy was younger. Both of his parents are--I think--of Jewish
>descent.  That he was a high school dropout who could write such exquisite
>lyrics might imply some sort of Jewish genetic strain, but, hell, it might
>also imply several other genetic strains--Irish to name one.
>
>Billy Joel is an enormously talented, hard-working, successful musician.
>But I have never heard him mention in any interview anything about Judaism
>or Jewish music. So, it really seems a stretch to identify him as such.
>
>Eliott Kahn
>
>
>

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